Heirloom Tomato Pie

The second I saw this tomato pie on the cover of Food Network Magazine I was super excited to make it. I kept checking the local grocery stores, but many of the tomatoes were soft and over ripe. I didn’t give up though, I really wanted this tomato pie!

After searching around the local farmers market, I finally found them. Those beautiful heirloom tomatoes in a wide variety of colors, shapes and sizes. A crunchy cornmeal crust is filled with a cheesy caramelized onion filling and topped with heirloom tomatoes of all sizes and colors.

This is a a bit of a time-consuming recipe, but the results are definitely worth the amount of preparation. You can always spread the preparation over a few days by baking the pie crust a day ahead and assembling the rest the day you plan to serve it. This pie is a wonderful way to savor tomatoes while they are at their very best. I can’t wait to try this recipe again when my home-grown tomatoes are ready!

Directions:

To make the crust: in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, cornmeal and salt. Add the butter and 3 tablespoons manchego; pulse until the mixture looks like coarse meal with pea-size bits of butter. Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough comes together; add 1 more tablespoon ice water if necessary. Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 45 minutes.
Put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate. Fold the overhang under itself and crimp the edges. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until golden all over, 10 to 15 more minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
To make the filling: in a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool.
Thinly slice the tomatoes and toss with 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a colander. Let drain, gently tossing occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Combine the remaining 3/4 cup manchego, mozzarella, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons chives, 2 tablespoons parsley, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, pepper and the sautéed onion in a bowl. Spread into the crust. Arrange the tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are browned, about 50 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 tablespoon each chives and parsley. Serve warm.

I bought the magazine just because of the picture of the pie on the front! My mother in law and I have made Paula Deen’s before, but I would really like to try this one too! by the way, your picture looks JUST like the one on the cover, I was wondering if that is where it came from before I even began to read…

Hi, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your blog. Didn’t know where to comment first. As soon as my heirloom tomatoes start to ripen, I’m making this pie. I’ve made tomato pie before but that crust sounds great.